Protection of minorities is a global problem: Former US diplomat

There are societies in which issues are contested everyday. There is nothing more emotional and dangerous when people go after each other for religion, says former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

New Delhi: Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on Monday expressed concern over the plight of religious minorities worldwide.

Speaking at the 2nd annual summit organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in New Delhi, Rice expressed concern over the ‘grave problem’ of not being able to protect religious minorities worldwide.

“The protection of religious minorities is a problem worldwide. Every leader should be cognizant of the fact that we will all suffer badly if we go down this road (of failing to protect them),” she cautioned.

The former top American diplomat advocated the separation of state policies from religion. “There are societies in which issues are contested every day. There is nothing more emotional and dangerous when people go after each other for religion.”

At a time when the world has seen the rise of authoritarian leaders positioning their politics on conservative nationalism and rhetoric, Rice also batted for open democracies.

“One of the great advantages of democracies is that change in the governance and policy can be brought about peacefully through the voice of people. Authoritarian regimes can make policy quickly but they can also make bad policy without oversight,” said Rice in veiled comments with references to Russia, China among others.

Rice who was the secretary of state in the George Bush administration from 2005-2009 when the historic Indo-US nuclear deal was signed, spoke at length about turbulent US-Russia ties today and its impact on America’s global relations including with India.

“There is so much more we can do for our economies. My advise to the trade negotiators is- get a deal soon,” she replied when asked about the Indo-US limited trade deal which remained elusive even during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hyped Houston diaspora event where he was joined by the US President Donald Trump in an unprecedented move.

The two sides were not able to iron out key differences even later when the two top leaders held bilateral delegation-level talks along sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Earlier in June this year, Trump administration revoked the preferential trade privileges or Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to India, following which New Delhi imposed tariffs on 28 American products including almonds and apples.

“Around the world, geopolitical perspective and shifting global order are driven by technology, oil and emerging markets,” Rice added.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), led by its President and CEO Dr. Mukesh Aghi, this year has convened over 300 private sector executives, global CEOs and US and Indian government leaders including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Industry & Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Former US Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, Former US Envoys Timothy Roemer and Richard Verma among others.

(This article has been written by senior journalist, Smita Sharma based in New Delhi)